Twisted Sister
by Lindoreda
Summary: Roxas thinks his crush on the redheaded Chemistry T.A. is just a passing thing. After 6 months of this "passing thing", his T.A.'s younger sister sets out to help him win her brother's heart, by whatever means necessary. Akuroku. AU.
1. It's you

Author's Note: This is my first posted story, so constructive criticism is encouraged, flames are not. I've got this story mostly planned out, though we'll see if it follows my planned on direction. If you read, please review. I'm new at this. The first chapter is from Roxas's PoV in the present. Future chapters will change perspective, and be in past tense. Future chapters will probably be longer than this one.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC and the plot. Square owns the rest.  
**

**Warnings: Some swearing, boy love.**

--

**"My name is Axel. Commit it to memory."**

Oh. My. God.

I have seen heaven, and its' name is… Actually, I don't know what his name is. I do know that heaven takes the form of an outlandishly tall, 16-year-old male, with hair reminiscent of fire in both color and shape, and eyes the color of young leaves.

Maybe I should explain. Hi. My name is Roxas Strife. I'm a freshman at Hollow Bastion high, the main high school in; you guessed it, Hollow Bastion, the capitol and largest city in the country of Radiant Garden. People outside of HBH refer to said high school as an inner city high school, which is true, but misleading. HBH does not suffer from a lack of interest or funding. HBH is the top school in the country, all because of our hard-ass of a principal. They call his office the DTD, or the Door to Darkness.

I have a twin sister, named Naminé, an older brother, named Cloud, and a cousin named Sora, who all go to HBH with me. Cloud is a junior, while Sora and Naminé (duh) are both freshman, like me. If only Nami could see me now, I can only imagine what she'd say... Something utterly tactless, in a sweet tone of voice, no doubt.

I'm getting pretty far off topic. Today is my first real day at HBH, after yesterday's orientation. I walked into my first class (chemistry), found a seat in the back with my friend Olette, (Our other friends, Hayner and Pence, are taking easier and harder science classes, respectively) and waited for class to start. Oh, did it start.

I feigned interest as out teacher introduced himself as Mr. Even Vexen (weird name), but I didn't have to feign interest in the person standing next to him. That vibrant redhead is our T.A., apparently, though I didn't get his name. Why, you ask? Why didn't I get the name of this fire-god incarnate? Because I was too busy thinking of things in nature to compare his hair and eyes to. I think now you understand my situation.

Olette is giving me a funny look. Am I staring? I must be staring. Great. My first day of high school, and I'm not acting like myself at all. Just what I needed to do.

"Roxas? Roxas Strife?"

"Huh?"

He's talking to me… Our T.A. is talking to me… Did he notice my staring, or is he taking attendance? Which is it?!

"Are you here or not, Roxas? Personally, I'd guess not."

It's attendance then. Why the hell does he look so amused? Oh God, he's smiling… He has such a nice smile… That smile combined with the raised eyebrow is a killer combo! Am I melting? I must be melting. Otherwise, why would my face be so warm? Oh God. I'm blushing. Great first impression, Rox.

"I'm here."

Are those tattoos under his eyes? Those must've hurt like hell. He must be pretty tough. What's up with the shape, though? Are they diamonds? Teardrops? Upside-down triangles?

"Roxas!"

"What's up, Olette?"

"Roxas, the bell rang."

"Oh, sorry. Let's go."

I feel like a complete idiot now, and it's all thanks to that redheaded, nameless wonder.

"So Roxas, why were you staring at Axel?"

"Uh, Axel? Who's that?"

That name sounds kind of familiar…

"Our chemistry T.A.? Wow, high school is off to a great start with you, isn't it?"

…I'm going to fail chemistry.

"It makes sense that you would stare. Most people would and did. With hair like his, combined with his introduction, he makes an interesting first impression."

"His… introduction?"

"'The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?'"

Why does Olette have her pointer finger on her temple? Is she… imitating him? Well, he sounds self-confident. That's good. He can deal with Hayner – Oh my God, why am I thinking about that?! Calm down Roxas. This is just a passing attraction that'll go away once I actually have a conversation with him. It's just a crush, brief infatuation. Right? Right?!

"Roxas?"

"Nnn?"

"Oh my God, Roxas, you like him, don't you?"

"What are you talking about, Olette?"

C'mon Olette… Take the bait. Let me get out of this...

"I knew it! You like him! Well, if you start failing chemistry, you can always ask him to tutor you!"

"Is that the bell ringing? I should be going…"

Olette's giving me that look again…

"We'll talk about this later."

Shit.

--

AN: Thanks for reading! Wanna see more? Leave a review, though I'll post more regardless. See a problem? You know what to do.


	2. Always on my mind

Author's note: All right, chapter two. This one is also Roxas's PoV, but in past tense. The next chapter will definitely be from someone else's PoV. Thanks to my first and only reviewer, Niffstral, and to the people who have already fav'd/alerted it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for my OC and the plot.**

**Warnings: Some language, boy love.**

**--**

"**Thank Namin****é."**

School started in September. It is now March. That's six months of copying Olette's chemistry homework. Six months of Hayner and Pence's "encouragement". In those six months, guess how many actual conversations I've had with Axel. That's right. None. We rarely interact beyond the usual "Roxas?" "Here."

Now that I think about it, I know almost nothing about him. I don't even know if he's gay. That doesn't bother Hayner and Olette, who think I should go after him regardless, but I'd like to know if I even have a chance, ya know? I've spent six months skateboarding into poles, trying to get a glimpse of him, so some progress in one direction or the other would be nice.

Well, I do know something. I know that Axel's a pyro. The whole reason that he's a chemistry T.A. is the Bunsen burners. Not that this bothers me. I'm pretty fond of keys, myself. I don't know why. Though, I admit, keys aren't quite as dangerous as fire. Anyway, he told the class that he was a pyro, so this is only proof that I've been paying attention when he speaks, not that I've been gathering information on him. God, I wish.

Anyway, this is where Naminé comes into the picture. I mean, she's been there the entire time, but this is where she proves that she's a caring sister. Naminé knew the instant she saw me that I was heartsick. I don't think anything about me gets past her. All she did at first was tell me to conceal my feelings when around Axel. "You'll only embarrass yourself," she said. But, on the six-month anniversary of school starting, Naminé took action.

"Roxas!"

"Naminé?"

I turned to face where her voice had come from. School had just ended for the day, and I had been about to head home. I quickly spotted Naminé (she stands out in a crowd), but my eyes were drawn to the person standing next to her. A girl our age, with shoulder length red hair, shockingly green eyes and… whoa. Heart shaped tattoos under her eyes? There was something very familiar about her, though I don't know how I didn't see it right away.

"Roxas, this is Axel's younger sister Aimi. Aimi, Roxas."

And that is exactly why I should have recognized her. She looks so much like him. She even has tattoos under her eyes! Anyway, she smiled at me, and then she spoke. Her voice reminded me of Naminé's. It was sweet sounding, but it had a quiet insistence to it. She wanted to be heard, and she wanted you to want to listen.

"Thanks Nami, but it would seem that I've already met your brother."

I was embarrassed. I didn't recognize her name or her face. I guess Chemistry isn't the only class where I don't pay attention.

"We've… met? I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you."

She smiled at me in a comforting way before responding.

"We have a few classes together."

Ouch.

"But don't sweat it. I don't leave a lasting impression, or so I'm told."

Double ouch. No wonder she and Nami are friends.

"That's how Naminé and I became friends, actually."

At this particular revelation, Naminé smiled and touched my arm.

"Roxas, I've gotta get going. Why don't you walk Aimi home? She's been wanting to get to know you."

So there you have it. This was a set up. Somehow, Naminé thought that I could gain something by talking to Axel's sister. She was right.

"Sure, Naminé."

She left us with a smile. I turned back Aimi, who had on what appeared to be a mischievous smile, though it quickly turned back into a normal smile.

"So, Aimi, where do you live?"

She led me out the front entrance of the school and through a maze of alleyways before we reached what appeared to be a quiet back road. She didn't say a word until we reached that road.

"So, Roxas, Naminé's told me a bit about you, and the rest I've figured out on my own. I suppose you'd like to know if Axel is gay?"

Am I that transparent?

"Uh, I mean, that is…what?"

I think my lack of coherency is understandable.

"Axel thinks that gender is irrelevant in matters of love, so he's bi. That means you have a chance."

I have a chance! Thank you Naminé! Thank you!

"Roxas, Naminé has asked me to help you, and I think I will. From what I've seen of you, I like you. And I think Axel would like you too. So, let's be friends."

I was understandably confused. She wanted to help me? Well, help would mean some kind of progress, so how could I refuse her generous offer?

"Uh, sure. I mean, you're already friends with Naminé."

She clapped her hands together with a wide grin on her face.

"Excellent. You won't regret this. I know my brother better than anyone, so I can tell you everything that you'll need to know about him. Plus, friendship provides an excuse to go to each other's houses. You and Naminé can come to our house, and Axel will get used to seeing you, and you can get used to talking with him outside of class. It also means that I can go to your house, and see what you have to work with."

She's diabolical. She's scheming against her own brother. Though, actually talking with Axel did sound appealing… That's when I noticed where we were. We were outside an ice cream parlor. Clearly, she didn't think I was ready to talk to Axel on his home turf.

"What are we doing here?"

"I thought it might be nice if we got sea salt ice cream and talked for a bit. Do you mind?"

I definitely didn't mind. Any excuse to have sea salt ice cream! Once again, thank you Naminé!

--

Author's note: Thank you for reading! Again, please review, whether you like what you see, or you think some changes are in order. Please let me know. Chapter 3 could be up tomorrow, or even later today.


	3. One step closer

Author's note: Thanks to Niffstral, outkast angel, Aly-Cooper, miss RAWR, Kannachix3 and RecklessxDreamer for reviewing. Your support means so much to me. Chapter three is from Aimi's PoV, in past tense. The next chapter will probably be from Naminé's PoV. Parts of this chapter are a little boring, but bear with me. Small talk is, unfortunately, necessary. This chapter is a lot wordier than the last two, and thus longer. The glory of explanations...

**Disclaimer: I own Aimi, the plot, and some fake names. Nothing else.**

**Warnings: Language, boy love.**

--

"**The Data is corrupt."**

Before I tell you what happened when we got ice cream, I should explain a few things. My name is Aimi Lea. I'm a freshman at HBH, and I have two older brothers. You already know about Axel, who is only 11 months my senior, though he seems older. My other brother Reno is a junior at HBH, and thus the eldest. We live in an apartment in the heart of Hollow Bastion, and have done so for our entire lives. We have parents, but they are usually away on business trips. We haven't seen them much since Reno was old enough to get a job. Consequently, Reno and I are not close. He's been working to fill in the gaps, so we haven't had much time to develop a close relationship. You might think that he isn't doing his job as an older brother, but I don't need that from him. Axel has always been my cheerful protector, my playmate and my guardian. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for him, which is why I took an interest in Roxas.

Roxas has Naminé. He understands having a sister who you're closer to than anyone else. Not everyone understands that. A lot of the people who have been interested in Axel have also been interested in separating the two of us. He doesn't take kindly to that. It's the reason why he's presently single. When I found out that the brother of a friend (Naminé) was interested in Axel, I knew that I had to get involved. If I could be of use to an interested party, then maybe the interested party and I could be friendly. If an interested party and I were friendly, Axel might let his guard down.

In short, I want Axel to be happy, and the easiest way is to befriend his potential love interests. Why Roxas? Because Naminé asked, and I feel a strong connection to her. We both have brothers who we would do anything for.

So, now that you're tearing out your hair in boredom, because you never asked for my thought process, my background, or my reasoning, I will tell you what you want to know. Simply put, I will explain what happened at the ice cream parlor.

Roxas ordered a sea salt ice cream bar, while I got that flavor explosion of a dessert in a cup. I don't like it melting all over my hands, even though it's not likely to do that in early March. Anyway, we found a table, and Roxas dug into his ice cream. Do I have good instincts, or what? I smiled at his vigor, before asking him the all-important question.

"So, Roxas, what would you like to know about Axel? Scratch that, what do you know about him right now?"

He nearly choked on his ice cream. Poor thing. Axel's got a tight grip on him, and he doesn't even know it! Once Roxas got his windpipe clear, he answered my question, though he didn't look me in the eye.

"I know that he's 16, a pyro, that he has a younger sister, and that his favorite colors are black and red."

Damn. He really is stuck on square one. Naminé wasn't exaggerating at all. How did he develop feelings without any information? Poor little Roxy…

"That's not a lot… Would you like me to enlighten you on all things Axel?"

He nodded vigorously. I hope he can maintain that enthusiasm…

"Right. Well, for starters, I'm not his only sibling. We have an older brother named Reno. Neither of us is very close to him, and he and Axel tend to argue, but he's our brother. I think he knows your older brother Cloud. They're co-workers I think."

Roxas nodded to indicate that he knew that Cloud worked with someone named Reno, and started searching through his pockets. I wondered, did he want to take notes? Well, far be it for me to discourage having things in writing. I pulled a pen out of my pocket and handed it to him as he got a notepad out of his backpack. A secret present from Naminé, I guess. He scribbled this new piece of information down, and then looked up at me expectantly. I took that as my cue to continue.

"He's left-handed, though he's not bad with his right hand either. His favorite subjects are Chemistry and Psychology, because he likes fire and messing with people. His favorite bands are Failing Chemistry and Passive Attack (AN1). His favorite movie is Rashaman. In terms of books, he mostly reads manga, though he secretly reads romance novels when he thinks that no one's looking. He plays a lot of video games, but he's really into the Last Legend series. Uhm, let's see, what else… oh! He takes the 19 Nobody bus home."

"Really? I took that bus for the first few days of school, but I stopped because of this guy that was always there. I nicknamed him Sitarzan because he was always playing his sitar and singing. It's not that he was annoying or anything, no. It was because the hypnotic quality of his playing tends to cause people to miss their stops." (AN2)

That made me grin. The first few days of school, Axel stayed late at school. I can only imagine what would have happened, had he not missed the bus. Roxas would probably still be taking it home, for one.

"Oh, you mean Demyx? Yeah, he does that to people. He knows that he does it, too. Axel never misses his stop though, because Demyx gets off before him."

I bet Roxas cursing poor Demyx in his head, for depriving him of an opportunity. He seemed to take it pretty well, though. Or, at least, he changed the subject.

"You don't take the bus though?"

"No. I prefer walking. The city may not be pretty, but the exercise doesn't do me any harm. If you took the same bus as Axel, then you must live in the same direction as us. We could all walk home together sometime, if you want."

Roxas looked terrified at the thought. Maybe we should work on the whole confidence factor.

"We can wait until you're ready. You just have to get to that point, and the rest will probably be easy. So, here's what's going to happen. On Saturday, you and Naminé are going to come over to our apartment. Naminé knows where it is. Once there, we will attempt to acclimate you to Axel's presence, and try to get you two to have an actual conversation. Then, on Sunday, I will come over to your place, and we will begin constructing a master plan, as well as a wardrobe for previously mentioned master plan."

He looked petrified. He's been doing that a lot today. Well, my master plans are something to be afraid of. It will be simple in execution, and thus it will not fail. Keep it simple stupid.

"Do we… need a master plan?"

"Are you satisfied with things just continuing as they are?"

"No, I'm not. But what if I realize that I don't actually like Axel?"

"Then we abort the master plan, and hope that the damage is only to outlying areas. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. Please tell me if it is, though. If your heart isn't in the master plan, it will fail."

He looked a bit… more certain than he had before. I'm glad.

"Aimi… how are you going to… acclimate me to Axel's presence?"

"Roxas, when you actually talk to my brother, you'll understand. He's a people person by nature, and he hates silence. So, he should talk to you if I leave the two of you alone. The hard part for you will be talking back, but you'll manage."

"Uh, how?"

"Oh, he can be pretty demanding, and he'll demand that you answer him. Just speak confidently. Actually, no. Feel free to stutter and blush, when appropriate. He might respond to that."

I think that was the last nail in his coffin, at least in Roxas's mind. His face turned bright red, and he averted his eyes. Oh yeah. Axel will love him. We finished our ice cream in silence, and parted ways at the entrance. I'm looking forward to what the future will bring in this area. I just hope I didn't leave out anything important...

--

AN1: Failing Chemistry and Passive Attack are bands that my sister invented for a web comic. With her permission, I reused the names, since they tie in with Axel's favorite subjects.

AN2: Sitarzan is the name of a picture of Demyx that my sister drew. She hungers for attention, so I have to advertise for her. Pic to be found in either of the two below urls. Remove the spaces.

www. sheezyart. com /view/1817844/

kingofthieves. deviantart. com /art/Sitarzan-90478603

Thanks for reading! You like? You know what to do.


	4. Furious Angels

Author's note: Chapter four! Wooo! Actually, well… I have a couple of comments about this chapter. It's from Naminé's PoV, and that is part of what I wanted to bring up. When I started writing this chapter, I took a moment to think about Naminé. I realized something. She's not a very good storyteller. She always gets interrupted, or she gets off topic. Why does she get interrupted? Because it takes her a while to get to the point. So, when reading this chapter, you may find Naminé getting off topic, or the flow of action being disrupted by description, or her description being bland. It is in fact intentional. I like Naminé. She's just not much of a narrator. Thanks to Anya Urameshi, random-laughter and Niffstral for reviewing chapter 3. Oh, and if the last few chapters didn't tip you off, Aimi has a flair for the dramatic. :)

**Disclaimer: I own Aimi and the plot. The rest belongs to others.**

**Warnings: Language, boy love.**

**--**

"**Your mind's made up?"**

Roxas didn't want Saturday to come. I could see it. I drew some pictures for him, to try and console him, but he wasn't about to be consoled. I could see why. Saturday meant talking to Axel, and Roxas was afraid of clamming up, or confessing his feelings. I told him that I'd be there with him, but Roxas didn't find that comforting.

Still, Saturday came. It was bound to, really. After an extremely light breakfast, so that Roxas wouldn't throw up, we boarded the 19 Nobody bus.

Oh! Buses in Hollow Bastion are either "Heartless" or "Nobody", depending on the direction they're going. For example, from our apartment to school, the bus would be the 19 Heartless. From school to home, it's the 19 Nobody. Heartless and Nobody come from our two major blitzball teams, though Roxas jokes that they come from our two major gangs.

Did I just describe the bus system? I did. Wow. Okay, so we rode the bus for about 20 minutes, and got off in front of a well-to-do apartment complex. Roxas looked kind of queasy. I hoped, in vain, that his sickness was connected to the look of the apartment building, and not who was lurking inside. Silly me.

Well, anyway, we went inside and rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. Aimi told me once that she hates living up so high, because she gets vertigo looking out the window. Roxas looked like he was having the same problem. Well, being ten floors up _does_ mean that a speedy getaway would be pretty hard.

When the elevator stopped, I almost had to drag Roxas out. Luckily, the elevator was called to another floor, and he jumped out in a hurry. We walked along the hallway until we reached the door numbered 10-8 and stopped in front of it. I glanced at Roxas before speaking to him.

"Would you like to knock, or should I?"

"You knock, please, Naminé."

So I did. And who opened the door? Roxas got a fortune cookie last night that said: "You shall be frequently in company with the one you secretly care for." It was right. Axel opened the door, his eyes fixed on Roxas. I don't think he saw me.

"Roxas? To what do I owe this honor? Wait. How do you know where I live? Are you… stalking me, Roxas?"

Axel's eyebrows were raised, and his mouth was twisted to one side in a cocky grin. I remembered Roxas telling me about that facial expression. The last time he'd seen it, he'd almost melted in his seat. Today was no different. Roxas looked like he wanted to die. I knew it was up to me to get us out of this.

"Axel, stop teasing him. We're here to see Aimi. You know, your sister?"

He noticed me then, but his smirk stayed firmly in place.

"Oh? Is she expecting you?"

"She invited us."

My head whipped around to look at Roxas. He spoke! He spoke to Axel! Axel seemed pleased with Roxas's response, though he looked slightly less pleased as voice came from inside the apartment.

"Axel! Who's at the door? What's taking so long?"

It was Aimi. Axel turned his head to yell back. (He was leaning against the door frame, barring entry.)

"The Strife twins are here to see you! Did you invite them?"

There was a rustling from inside the apartment, and Aimi's head appeared over Axel's shoulder.

"Let them in, let them in! Nami, Roxy, I'm so glad to see you!"

Axel moved out of the way, letting us enter the apartment. With Axel out of the way, we got a clear view of his sister. She was wearing oven mitts and an apron, the apron bearing the message: "If I'm wearing this, you should not be in the kitchen." The apron explained why Axel had been near the door; he had been barred from the kitchen. Aimi grinned widely.

"I just put cookies in the oven, so you're right on time!"

Roxas looked like he was about to say something, but he was silenced by Axel bending down so that the two of them were face to face. He was grinning again.

"Did my darling little sister just refer to you as Roxy? I didn't know that was allowed, or that's how I'd take attendance."

"She can call me that because we're friends. You don't even know me."

That sounded a little bitter, Rox… Axel's grin just got wider.

"Aw, Roxas, you wound me. Why would you say something like that?"

Roxas met Axel's eyes, and managed to answer him, though his cheeks were tinged with pink.

"This is the first real conversation that we've had."

"You've been keeping track? Oh, I'm so flattered, _Roxy_. But that's just not right. If you and Aimi really are friends, then we gotta talk more!"

"Whatever."

Aimi and I watched this exchange with growing joy, but I knew that Roxas was done with this conversation. We had to get him out of there. Aimi wrapped an arm around Roxas's shoulders, and proceeded to lead him away, while I followed. Aimi glanced over her shoulder at her brother before addressing him.

"Axel, don't antagonize Roxy. If the timer goes off, take the cookies out. And-"

She removed her oven mitts and threw them at him.

"Use oven mitts!"

Axel gave her a mock salute, retrieved the oven mitts, and skipped off into the kitchen. We reached Aimi's room in safety, and hurried inside. She locked the door behind her with a triumphant grin.

"You were so great, Roxas!"

"R-really?"

I decided to pitch in.

"You didn't freeze up! You were completely yourself. That's wonderful!"

"But I was negative. I almost snapped at him."

Aimi patted his arm.

"That kind of thing doesn't bother Axel. He could tell that you were just being you, and, I think he likes that. Did you see his face? I think you've interested him! Well, now that we know you can talk to him, we can proceed with creating a master plan!"

"So soon?"

"Well, if you can talk to him, there's no reason to wait."

I nodded in agreement before speaking.

"If you wait too long, you might lose your chance."

Aimi looked serious for a moment.

"So, this is your only chance to pull out without hurting anyone. Do you still want to proceed?"

Roxas nodded.

"Yeah. I want to keep going. Having talked to him, I know for sure now that I like him."

Aimi and I both smiled. We spent the rest of the day in the living room, eating cookies and chatting about anything that came to mind, excluding the obvious topic of Axel, of course. Axel popped in and out from time to time, and Roxas didn't embarrass himself once. The master plan was off to a great start.

--

Author's note: This chapter was edited a ton before I put it on FFnet. I'm a lot happier with it now. Are you? Let me know by reviewing. You guys have been so nice so far. Really, thank you. This chapter was supposed to be both Saturday and Sunday, but it ended up just being Saturday, because it would be reeeeeallly long otherwise.

On another note, just in case someone thinks of asking, it's not weird that Axel knows Roxas's name. He's been taking attendance for 6 months. He knows that Roxas exists. They just don't interact much. Or at all.

Oh yeah, about the rating. I think I expected more swearing out of myself. I'm not going to change it though, because once we get into Axel's PoV, anything could happen, language-wise.


	5. Popular

Author's Note: Chapter 5! Yay! By the way, I upped the rating. When I started planning out Axel's chapters, I realized that his mouth is too foul for a T rating. Moving on, I considered going back to Roxas's PoV for this one, but I ended up writing it from Aimi's. In terms of the necessary explanations and things that this chapter had to accomplish, it just made sense. Certain parts of this chapter got less description than I would have liked, but it was either that, or split this into yet another chapter. I didn't want to drag this out even longer, just because Axel demanded food, and Sora needed to make an appearance. And it is long. The longest so far. Thanks to RecklessxDreamer, Anya Urameshi and random-laughter for reviewing chapter 4, and to everyone who's reviewed any of the chapters.

****

Disclaimer: I own Aimi and the plot. The rest belongs to others.

Warnings: Boy love and language. This chapter actually does have swearing in it, so don't say I didn't warn ya.

**--**

**"You possess the strongest weapon in the world."**

Sunday dawned. The sunrise was lighter than usual, with more yellows than reds in the dawn sky. Yes, I was awake to see the sunrise. Who could sleep when you have to create a master plan? Anyway, I took the coloring of the sunrise to be a good omen, because I'm just superstitious like that. You would be superstitious too, if the day that Reno breaks a mirror, your parents announce that they're not going to be around much anymore. Just think, he's got four more years of bad luck to go.

Geez. Look at me, getting drawn off topic by Reno's clumsiness. That aside, I emptied my backpack of school supplies, and filled it instead with some necessary tools. I kept one notebook and some pens, in case the plan ended up being more complicated than I had originally intended. The rest of the stuff was new to my poor bag. A sewing kit, a book of matches, Axel's diary (he tries to hide it, but come on! The freezer is no place for a book), a CD of "mood music" (to make the planning epic), a black and white checkered wristband that I'd recently bought (as a gift), several fashion magazines, some cash, antiseptic and a few interesting earrings all went into my innocent looking backpack. I bet you're curious now, huh?

I set my bag down next to the apartment door, waved goodbye to Reno as he left for work (yes, he works on Sundays), and went into the kitchen. I was planning on just grabbing a bagel and running, but... Axel was already awake. I heard him moving around. If he wakes up while I'm still here, I have to make breakfast for him. We wouldn't want my pyro of a brother to burn the apartment down trying to cook something, now would we? I cursed audibly.

"Good morning to you too, sis."

Axel. If he knew what I was doing for him, he might've had the decency to sleep in! Anyway, Axel sat down in front of the counter and looked up at me expectantly. You see, we have sort of an island thing going in the kitchen. The oven is on one side of the island, and the other side is counter space, which is where we eat. Tables are for normal people.

"So, what's for breakfast this morning, my darling little sister who I'm sure wasn't swearing about me?"

My thoughts at that moment went something like what follows. _Dammit Axel! You don't sleep with a shirt on! If I wanted to, I could dart right over there and give you purple nurples!_ I wasn't feeling particularly charitable towards my brother's person at that moment, if you couldn't tell. Still, I glued on a smile, and thought up a breakfast.

"How about an omelet with chili peppers inside and hot sauce on top?"

No, that was not sarcastic Aimi. That was deadly serious Aimi. Axel could hardly refuse such a breakfast, so I made it and served it, finally escaping thirty minutes later. I rode the 19 Heartless bus for 25 minutes (traffic), and got out in front of a normal looking apartment complex. I steeled myself before entering. Why? Roxas, Naminé and Cloud live with their aunt and uncle, and their cousin Sora. From what I understand, the place can get crowded. Mostly because of Sora. Why do they live with their aunt and uncle? Their parents had to move for a job, and they didn't want to uproot their children. Model parents, or at least compared to ours.

Moving on, they live on the second floor (thank God), so I took the stairs and walked along the hallway until I reached 2-13. I took a deep breath and knocked. The door flew open, and I felt something slam into my chest, knocking me back a few feet. Once I had regained my senses, I noticed that someone was holding tight to my waist. I also noticed that I could see into the apartment, so whoever this was was shorter than me (I'm kind of tall). I glanced down. I didn't have to look far. There was a mass of chocolate brown spikes. Sora. Sora was hugging me. We'd only spoken a few times before now.

"Why, hello Sora. To what do I owe the pleasure of having my ribs smashed?"

He loosened his grip and looked up. Ah, those sweet baby blues...

"Oh! Sorry, Aimi."

He scratched his head with an awkward grin on his face. You know the one, I'll bet.

"I just needed to get away from Roxas. He's been on edge all morning. Then, I knocked over his milk and he gave me this death glare! I thought he was going to kill me..."

I patted his spiky head.

"No need to worry, Sora. Now that I'm here, all will be well."

He grinned and ran back inside the apartment. I followed, at a more sedate pace. Sora announced my arrival at the top of his lungs.

"Roxas! Naminé! Aimi's here to see you! I don't know what she brought with her, but it looks heavy!"

Roxas's head poked out of a doorway, and I took a moment to appraise him. Spiky blond hair, big blue eyes... He was definitely cute. I bet as babies, he and Naminé looked like little angels... Cloud too. Maybe. Still, there was something missing. Good thing I brought my piercing kit. You heard me. My sewing kit is a piercing kit in disguise. I'm not professional or anything (I use a fire cleansed sewing needle), but I've been either present or responsible for enough of Axel's piercings to know how it works, and how to avoid infection. Yes, that's why I brought earrings and antiseptic. I smiled at my unsuspecting victim.

"Hey Roxy. Why don't we go in your room?"

"Sure. Naminé went out a bit ago. She should be back soon. She didn't want to miss any planning."

I followed Roxas into his room. He sat down on the bed, while I started going through his closet. That terrified look that I thought we'd cured him of was back.

"What are you doing?"

"We gotta find you at least one good outfit to wear during the master plan, or at least for the first day of it."

"O-oh."

I found a likely looking combination, and dug through my bag for the checkered wristband. Then I handed it all to him.

"Put this on. I'll wait outside."

When I returned, I was pleased with the result. It was simple, yet effective. Roxas wore a tight black t-shirt with the Passive Attack logo on it, loose fitting jeans with tattered cuffs, and the checkered wrist band. He looked a little embarrassed.

"Why is this important?"

"If you want to make a good impression on Axel, ya gotta look nice. Otherwise, he'll get fixated on the crappiness of your outfit, and think about burning it. When he thinks about fire, he looses concentration, and he won't hear anything you say."

Roxas pointed at me.

"Is that why you dress like that?"

I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a white, button-down shirt, and a pleated, blue plaid skirt. It's how I usually dress. I like being the very image of a school girl.

"This? I just like how it looks. Why? Do you think it's weird?"

Roxas shook his head rapidly.

"N-no! It's just not typical."

That's the same thing, Rox... Anyway, looking at him, I still felt like there was something missing. It looked like I'd have to pierce him, just to be safe. I got out my piercing kit, the earrings, and the antiseptic.

"Roxas, pick an earring. You're getting an ear pierced."

"When did you decide this?"

"When I found something to be lacking in your appearance. Pick an earring."

Roxas did so, choosing the one shaped like the team logo for the Nobodies. Ten minutes later, said earring was inserted in Roxas's right earlobe, Roxas was clutching his ear, and I looked rather pleased with myself. At that moment, Naminé returned, and we began planning. Sorry. I'm not going to relate the details of the master plan. The fewer people who know about it, the better, ya know?

I will tell you this, though. I called Cloud at work. I got his number when I "borrowed" Reno's cell phone. Now Cloud... he doesn't care for me. We've met a few times when I've visited Reno at work, but really all he knows about me comes from Reno, and he does not like me. He says I, oh, what's the word? Oh, right. I meddle. So, I called him, meddler that I am.

"Why the hell are you calling me? And at work?!"

He and Reno work at Squallmart, a massive video game emporium. Reno's a guard, while Cloud is a greeter (Yeah, it's that huge). I'm not sure why Cloud got the job where you have to interact with people all day, and I don't think Reno has ever been old enough to legally be a guard so... I'm skeptical of their hiring practices.

"Aw Cloud, don't be so mean. I need a favor."

"Why would I do a favor for a bitch like you?"

See? He hates me.

"Because this favor won't hurt anyone. Could you keep Reno away from Axel in the mornings at school?"

Reno gets to school earlier than Axel and I, and he usually bugs Axel when we get there.

"What's in it for me?"

"It'll make Roxas really happy!"

Silence, for close to two minutes.

"...Fine. I'll do it. But you're still a meddling bitch."

"Thank you Cloud!"

He hung up without a word. Monday morning is going to be so fun...

--

AN: Whee! Next chapter is from Axel's pov, I promise! Oh, and I'm sure you've noticed that the chapter titles in the drop down menu are also song titles. This chapter was originally called something else, but Aimi's behavior with Roxas reminded me of Popular, so I had to use it.

Oh yeah, so the Passive Attack logo is a chibi bat's head with butterfly wings. The bat has two fangs. One is longer, and dripping blood. Cute, huh? As for Squallmart... it was my sister's idea, I swear it. And yeah, Aimi did just give Roxas a Parent Trap style piercing. Do all of you know what having just your right ear pierced means? If you don't, you'll find out in the next chapter.

Reviews show me you care! Lindoreda out!


	6. Love grows

Author's note: That's right! It's chapter 6! From Axel's PoV! Mostly. That's right, I changed PoV's part way through the chapter, and then went back. I realized that it was either that, or skip Roxas's PoV entirely for the rest of the story, or have really short chapters between Axel's for Roxas's sake. I'm not doing that. Axel will just have to share with Roxas. I doubt he minds though. :D Oh yeah, so the quotes at the start of the chapters? Some of them are from the games, and some from the manga, and they weren't always translated the same way. Just so you know. Thanks to outkast angel, random-laughter, RecklessxDreamer, Niffstral and SkyeFlyte for reviewing chapter 5.

**Disclaimer: The plot and Aimi are mine! Nothing else!**

**Warnings: boy love, language. No, really. Axel likes the f word.**

**--**

"**I got bored, what with you hogging the hero."**

**Axel's PoV**

Should I be nervous? Aimi was acting weird all weekend, and she wouldn't talk to me! And she stole my diary again. I hope she didn't bring it with her to wherever she went on Sunday, but since I couldn't find in her room, she must've… What if she gave it to Roxas?! Ya know, that idea bothers me a bit more than it should, given how well Roxas and I know each other (barely at all). And that's another thing! I usually know who her friends are before they show up at our door! Fuck. I should be nervous, shouldn't I?

With all this on my mind, I was a little worried about Monday morning. I had to use my lighter to calm down. No, I did not burn anything. I'm following a 12-step program. Step one: Aimi will kill you if you burn the house down. Step two: Reno will kill you if you burn the house down. And it goes on. Got it memorized? I do.

Anyway, I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast and left the house with Aimi at 7:30. School starts at 8:30, and it's a 30-minute bus ride there (Aimi likes to be there early). Reno usually gets there at 7:30, to see his friends, since his work schedule eats up the rest of his free time. Then he bugs me. Why? He has a thing for teasing me in public. The fucker has to play "big brother" where everyone can see. When Aimi and I got to school though, he didn't jump out of the woodwork and start messing with my hair or pulling on my piercings (eyebrow and upper ear). Aimi didn't seem to notice. What the fuck is up with her? When she got home last night, she spent the rest of the evening locked in her room, on the phone with someone. I hope she doesn't have a secret boyfriend. If she did, I might just have to torch his house. The 12-step program doesn't cover secret boyfriends.

Now, we were just walking along, when out of the blue, Aimi trips! On what, I don't know. It was going to be a face smasher of a fall, too. I tried to catch her, but damn it if she didn't give me the most filling breakfast in the world this morning! I was too slow, in short. She didn't hit the ground though. My bag did though, since I was carrying it in my arms (yes, I'm just cool like that). But no, Aimi fell into someone's arms. Whose? Roxas's. My first thought was "Die, Fucker!" Straight guys aren't allowed to touch my sister while I'm around. But then I got a good look at her rescuer. Three things stood out. First, he looked smokin' hot. I felt like I must never have looked at him before, because how else could I have missed that?! Second, his right ear had an earring in it. Just the right ear. He knows that that means he's gay, right? If he knows, then he can live. Gay guys can save my sister from bodily harm, no problem. Third, it looked like he'd been taking makeup tips from Aimi. Her makeup tips go something like this: "More eyeliner! More eyeliner!" Damn, Roxas's eyes are blue…

After Roxas put Aimi back on her feet, he started gathering the contents of my bag that had spilled out when I dropped it. Me? I was just standing there in a bit of a daze. Uncharacteristic, I know. That's when I noticed what Roxas's hand was inches from. My guilty pleasure! Today's romance novel! He handed my things back to me with a smile, choosing not to comment. I liked him more already. How many Axel points has he earned in 2 minutes? Eh, numbers aren't my thing. I decided to ask him about the earring.

"Thanks for saving my clumsy sister's face, Roxy. What's up with the earring? You know what that means, right?"

He stiffened. Good going Ax. You managed to sound like a homophobe, which is what he's gonna think since I don't remember telling him my orientation…

"I… felt like a change. I know what it means. Why? Do you think I'm ignorant? Or is it that you think it's weird for me to not be ashamed of who I am?"

I was ready to bang my head against the wall. Way to offend your sister's friend and savior, genius! Aimi rescued me though. She's so sweet…

"Axel just didn't know that you were gay, and he wanted to make sure Rox. Not everyone is as willing to advertise it as you. There are some real bastards in the world."

Roxas was smiling again. Ya know, that's a smile I could get used to.

"It's okay. You didn't mean any harm, right Axel?"

"N-no! No harm at all!"

"Good. I'll see you in chemistry then."

And then Roxas left. I think I was kind of… sad to see him go. I mean, yeah, I'd see him in chemistry, but it's not like we'd talk at all. Well fuck. I gotta change that. Aimi was smiling at me, and I realized that I'd been staring at the spot where Roxas had been.

"Axel, I'm going to head to class, okay? I'll see you at home."

"Y-yeah. See ya."

Do I have a speech impediment all of a sudden? She left, and I leaned against the wall. What is this feeling, taking hold of my heart?

**Roxas's PoV**

At lunch, I had to face Hayner, Pence and Olette, who had apparently heard about the master plan. When I was seated at our usual table, Hayner slammed his fist down on the table.

"Roxas! Is it true that you're working with Axel's sister to try and win Axel's heart?"

I sighed. I bet Sora heard something yesterday. It sounds so weird hearing Hayner say that…

"Don't spread it around, but yes. I am."

Olette squealed, Hayner pumped his arm, and Pence patted me on the back. I tried to tell them not to count their chocobos before they're hatched, but they were too happy for me to listen to me.

**Axel's PoV**

Tuesday morning came, Reno didn't show, Aimi tripped on the floor, Roxas caught her, and I was a little surprised. Twice in a row? In the same exact spot (roughly)?

"You come here often, Roxy?"

"It's on the way to chemistry, so yes, I do."

"A little defensive there, Rox? Are you sure you're not a stalker?"

"If I was a stalker, why would I admit it?"

I leaned down in front of him and grinned. I love being tall in front of short people.

"Because I look like a stalker myself? Or maybe I look trustworthy?"

Ah! See? There was a smirk on his face, and I caused it! And then it vanished again.

"Uh-huh. Sure Axel. Keep trying."

Two weeks. Every school day for two weeks, Reno didn't appear, Aimi would trip, and Roxas would catch her. Then me an' Roxas would chat. At lunch, Demyx would force me to tell him and Zexion exactly what happened. I don't know why they cared. It didn't look like Zexy did. Some friends. It was an odd situation, but I found myself getting attached to Roxas. I told Demy and Zexy that, and they exchanged a weird look. Then they wouldn't tell me why! All Zexy said was "You'll understand when you're older." The fuck is up with that?! I should set Demy's blond faux-hawk on fire. Maybe then he'll talk. Or maybe Zex's emo hair would burn better. Demyx is always wet for some reason. Thinking about that periwinkle hair burning is getting me fired up… I should stop. The 12-step program doesn't cover them either.

I hope Aimi trips again on Monday. Then Roxas and I could talk some more…

--

AN: Wooo! Part one of the master plan has been put into effect! Oh yeah, so Roxas is only pretending to be offended when Axel asks about the earring. He's not supposed to know all the stuff that Aimi's told him, including the fact that Axel is bi. Next chapter is part two of the master plan! Reviews make my day 13X8 times over, so please review.


	7. Maneater

Author's Note: It's chapter 7! The second to last chapter. Yes, you heard me correctly. If all goes well, chapter 8 will be the last. Today's chapter is a lot like yesterday's, in that it's mostly Axel's PoV, but we have some of Roxas's too. Phase two of the master plan, activate! Thanks to NineTailedMistress, SkyeFlyte, Niffstral, jugularpiercer, random-laughter, Kannachix3, outkast angel, and RecklessxDreamer for their recent reviews. I think this chapter had the most reviews of any. I'm gonna thank Axel for that.

**Disclaimer: Aimi and the plot are mine. That's all. If I owned more, 358/2 days would be out by now.**

**Warnings: boy love, language. Oh, there's a teensy bit of innuendo. Brownie points if you spot it.**

**--**

"**No one would miss me."**

**Roxas's PoV**

Sunday night, I got a call from Aimi.

"Roxas, we're going to start phase two, so don't show up tomorrow, 'cause I won't be tripping."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Two things. One, bring the notes you took on Axel when I was telling you about him to school tomorrow. Make sure your name isn't on them. And two, try to avoid Axel. If he tries to talk to you, brush him off. Act like you're mad at him."

"But why? There's nothing for me to be mad about!"

"Yeah, but he won't think that. It will force him to think about whether or not he likes having you in his life. If you have trouble acting mad at him, just imagine that he broke into your apartment, raped your sister, and made you watch. It should do the trick."

I fiddled with the keys in my pocket. It's a stress thing.

"Aimi, that's…"

"Imagine whatever you want, as long as he gets the idea that you're mad. Give me the notes after chemistry, okay?"

"Right…"

There are times when I wonder about her. Like, really wonder.

**Axel's PoV**

Monday morning came. Reno still didn't show up, but Aimi didn't trip, and Roxas wasn't there to catch her. I was a little disappointed. Oh, fuck it. I was really disappointed. I've grown pretty attached to Roxas these past two weeks. The thought of not having his smile to start my day killed my mood. Yet Aimi was smiling. I don't know what the fuck she has to be happy about.

In chemistry, I tried to catch Roxas's attention, but he didn't look up once. Did I say something bad last time? When the bell rang, Roxas got up to leave, and I called after him.

"Roxas!"

He didn't turn, didn't even acknowledge my presence.

"Roxas!"

I grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back to face me. His eyes met mine briefly, and I was horrified at what I saw. His eyes had a dead cast to them, like he was empty inside, or I'd broken him, or something like that. He shrugged off my hand and left. What did I do? I leaned against the wall, fighting despair. How did I fuck this up? Wait. "This"? We don't have a "this", do we? He's my sister's friend, who I've talked to a bit. I don't fucking like that! I want… I want… What do I want? Ha. I should have the answer to that question memorized. I must want Roxas. And fuck me for not realizing before I screwed everything up! If only I knew what I did wrong.

Walking out of chemistry, I found an arm around my waist. I glanced down. Aimi?

"Cheer up, big brother!"

"Do I look sad?"

"You look like your heart was lost to darkness and you were reborn without it."

"So… I look empty?"

"Your fire is gone! Cheer up! And go to class."

And then she was gone.

Nothing interesting happened until lunch, when Demyx pulled a piece of paper out of my back pocket.

"What's this Ax?"

"Huh? I don't know. I've never seen it before."

I took it from him and unfolded it. It was a list. It was entitled "Things to know about Axel." It was mostly my basic facts, with little comments written next to some of them. Most of the comments were positive, with smiley faces. Next to my catchphrase was a question mark, like they weren't sure how they felt about it.

"My catchphrase is the only thing about me that they don't quite like? Sure makes a guy feel loved."

Demyx was studying the handwriting.

"But who does it belong to? And how did it get in your pocket?"

I knew how. Aimi. She'd put her arm around my waist. No one else had been close enough, except for Demyx. Aimi and I needed to talk.

"Dem, tell Zex that I'll see you two later. I gotta have a chat with my sister."

Then I walked off, without waiting for a reply. Aimi was waiting for me, in the place where she'd been tripping.

"Afternoon, Axel. Did you enjoy my gift?"

"Aimi, you shouldn't go around stealing things like this. People have a right to crush on me without me knowing."

"Who said that I stole it? Perhaps it was given to me to pass on to you. Perhaps I'm helping one of your admirers. Then again, perhaps I'm not."

"Aimi… what are you scheming?"

"It wouldn't do for me to tell you. You should know that you have been ensnared in a twisted web, though."

I thought she was being over dramatic and trying to confuse me. Eh, she _is_ my sister, after all. We both love a good mind game. Still, sarcasm was dripping from my next words.

"Is this _your_ web? Does that mean that you're planning on eating me?"

"The spider might. It depends on how you treat it. By the way, you're going to have to find the owner of those notes yourself. I'm not taking them back. See ya later, Axel."

She turned, waved, and was gone. Ugh. I really needed to burn something. At this point, it was clear what she'd been secretly doing. The owner of these notes was probably her co-conspirator. She was probably just playing a prank on me. It wasn't that unusual in our household. Sometimes, I wish she was a little less like me and Reno.

Tuesday morning came, and I decided to ask Roxas to return the notes to Aimi. I could kill two birds with one fireball. My week was looking up. Aimi kept her footing, and Roxas didn't show, so I decided to approach him in chemistry. I got there early to lie in wait. When he arrived, I dragged him into the back of the room. His eyes still looked cold and empty.

"What do you want, Axel?"

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever I said or did to make you hate me. But can you give this to Aimi?"

I pulled out the notes. Roxas's eyes got a bit wider when he saw them.

"She slipped it into my pocket and wouldn't take it back. She said I had to find the owner myself, but I have no clue where to start."

Roxas refused to meet my eyes for a moment. Then, he looked up, and his eyes were back to normal. I breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. Those notes are mine."

WHAT?!

**Roxas's PoV**

Judging by the look on Axel's face, he must've drawn the wrong conclusion… There was this murderous look in his eyes…

Fuck.

--

AN: Cliffie! Thank you to all of my reviewers and supporters. You guys are the best. There's only two more chapters to review, including this one! Huh. I just got an idea for another story… Well, I'll finish this one first.


	8. El Tango de Roxanne

Author's note: It's the final chapter! Some of you might find the ending a little bit… what's the word? I think fluffy might be appropriate. But I like happy endings. A lot. So :P . I picked this song title because of Roxanne. It's close to Roxas, so I couldn't resist. Thanks to Niffstral, outkast angel, missRAWR, RecklessxDreamer, Aly-Cooper, Kannachix3, Anya Urameshi, random-laughter, SkyeFlyte, 13loves8loves9loves6, jugularpiercer, NineTailedMistress, HeartFlare05, beehive130, and delicatexxfacade for reviewing at any point during the story. You guys have been so great. So, without further ado, here's chapter 8, which is entirely Axel's PoV.

**Disclaimer: I think we all know by now that only Aimi and the plot are mine.**

**Warnings: Language, boy love.**

**--**

"**All the actors are in place. Now, it's about time you gave me one heck of a show!"**

Fuck this. If this is how Aimi spends her spare time, then I need to get out of that apartment. If this is her idea of a joke, I'm not laughing. I love my sister, but if she just conspired to break my heart, I take it that she doesn't return the sentiment. Maybe it's revenge for all the potential boyfriends that I've scared off. Is Reno the only normal one in this family?

"Roxas, is this some kind of sick joke? Is my heart just a plaything to you?!"

"N-no, Axel, that's not…"

And then he stopped, and stared in horror at something behind me. Class had started, and Mr. Vexen had been doing a demonstration. Apparently, my voice had continued to increase in volume, until Mr. Vexen was startled into dropping some chemicals on his desk. Smoke was rising from the spot. The whole class was staring at us, and he looked livid. That's when he started screeching at us.

"Out! Out! Both of you get out!"

We fled the classroom, and I slammed the door behind us. I was prepared to glower at Roxas, but he was looking ashamedly at the floor. Maybe there was more to this than I had assumed.

"Roxas, I think you've got some explaining to do."

He nodded without looking up.

"Yeah. I'll explain everything. I'll do it right now, if you want."

"Well, seeing as how we have some free time, why don't we go to a more private location?"

I led him outside, to a cluster of benches on the school grounds. There were a few trees nearby, but they didn't really hide us. The only advantage to this place was that we were less likely to be overheard while school was going on. It was a cool spring day, and all around us, nature was slowly returning to life. I would have liked to come here with Roxas under better circumstances.

"So, Roxas. Talk. I want to understand everything. And if I should find your explanation unsatisfactory, say goodbye to your pretty blond hair, got it memorized?"

He nodded slowly. One side of his lips quirked up in the ghost of a grin. The fuck was he smiling about?

"Yeah, I got it memorized. Everything started… on your birthday, actually."

"What?"

"The first day of school was your birthday, right? Aimi told me."

"Oh yeah…"

"So, that's when it all started. That was when I saw you for the first time. All my friends think it was love at first sight, but I'm going to hold off on the L-word for now. It's not a word we should just throw around, right? I knew that I was attracted to you, anyway."

What? He really _does_ like me? Then what…

"But wait! Does that mean that you weren't just playing with me?"

Roxas smiled. Ah, that smile…

"Just wait, Axel. It'll all be clear soon. So anyway, I spent six months like that, trying to convince myself that it would go away once we actually spoke."

"So that's why you kept failing the tests!"

"Yup. It's all your fault, and I expect compensation. More on that later. At the six-month mark, Naminé introduced me to Aimi. Aimi said that she'd heard about my situation and she wanted to help me. We went out for ice cream, and that's when I made these."

He held up the notes.

"She gave me all the information on here, and I wrote it all down. Then she told me to come over with Naminé on Saturday, so that I could get used to being around you, and you could get used to having me around. Then she said that she'd visit us on Sunday, and we'd create a master plan, and deal with things like wardrobe. That's when I got this."

He tapped his earring. So that was Aimi's idea. Should I be surprised?

"So you _were_ stalking me! You just admitted that that was the reason you came to our apartment!"

"But it was Aimi's idea! I was scared out of my wits."

"Oh, really? You managed to cross wits with me pretty well. I almost thought that you didn't like me. You got me interested though. A lot more interested than I thought at the time."

"Aimi was right, then. On Sunday, she gave me the piercing, picked out clothes for me, and she and Naminé made the plan."

"And the plan was?"

"Trip and talk, she called it. Her theory was that you just needed to talk with me to like me. So, she created a catalyst for conversation, hoping that you'd like it enough to ignore the suspicious nature of it. But then, she abruptly called it off, and told me to act mad at you. She said it would force you to think about me. I didn't know what she was planning with the notes."

Roxas bowed his head.

"I'm sorry if we hurt you, Axel."

Aw, I can't stay mad at you, Roxy. Especially since you meant no harm. Wait, say it out loud, idiot!

"It was my mistake, Roxas. I should have trusted my own sister. And I should have trusted you. You're not a bad person. Neither is Aimi. I just forgot her flair for the dramatic. Wait."

I blinked.

"Are you… the spider? Oh my god, my sister has a dirty little mind!"

Roxas clearly had no clue what I was talking about. He raised his head slightly.

"So, are we good? Or is my hair going to burn?"

I laughed. I just couldn't help it. I kept laughing for a long time, while Roxas turned pink.

"Ah Roxas, you're so cute when you're embarrassed. Don't worry. I would never really burn your hair. It's part of your charm, having constant bed-head."

He pouted. So cute!

"It's natural! It won't lie flat, no matter what I do!"

"Natural or not, it looks like you just rolled out of bed. But that's beside the point. It looks like Aimi was right about a lot of things."

"What do you mean?"

Time to embarrass the crap out of him. I bent down on one knee in front of him, and took one of his hands. He's got such small hands…

"Roxas Strife, will you go out with me? Assuming you can handle it without Aimi holding your hand."

Hey, are those tears? Aww… I made Roxy cry… At least he's smiling.

"Yeah Axel, I'll go out with you. I don't need your sister's help, got it memorized?"

"Holy crap. That was the hottest thing I've ever heard. You gotta use my catchphrase more often. Say it again!"

Roxas just blushed and looked away.

"Hey, let's have a party!"

He looked back at me, confused.

"What for?"

"To celebrate our twisted sisters, who know us better than we know ourselves."

"Yeah, let's do that."

Then Roxas did something that I didn't expect. He leaned forward, and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. His cheeks were pink as he tried to pull away. I wasn't having that though. I growled as I pulled him onto my lap and into my arms.

"You're not getting away that easily."

Roxas, realizing the futility of his situation, settled in silently. I glanced down at his peaceful face.

"Hey Rox? Does this count as compensation for your chemistry grade?"

"For now."

It felt good, sitting on the grass with Roxas in my arms (even though we'd only been talking for just over two weeks). And the fact that Aimi, Naminé, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Demyx and Zexion (yeah, him too) were leaning out of their classroom windows (the spies) and cheering only made the moment that much better. Roxas was kind of embarrassed though. Could this day get any better?

Thanks, Aimi, Naminé.

--

AN: It's over! I can hardly believe it! Thanks again to all my reviewers, and the people who fav'd/alerted! You've made my first story really pretty pain-free.

**The sequel is up! Go look for it!**


	9. Note and Preview

Author's note: I bet some of you thought that I added another chapter to my completed story, huh? Nope. The sequel to Twisted Sister, The Sound of Your Voice is Soothing, is up, and it has gotten a depressing number of hits and reviews. So, for the people who alerted this story, but haven't seen TSYVS (That looks weird), this is for you. I know that some of you are on vacation, so this'll be a nice surprise when you get back.

Disclaimer: I dreamt that I owned Kingdom Hearts. Too bad it wasn't real.

Warnings: I don't think there's anything offensive in the bit I'm going to show…

--

It was close to six years ago that things changed for us...

-

"Cloud! Roxas! Naminé!"

Our mother called us into the living, looking anxious.

"Your father and I have an announcement to make. We have been reassigned to Atlantica for work. On Monday, we will be moving there."

Naminé's eyes were wide and scared.

"Just… you?"

Our mother nodded.

"We thought it would be wrong to uproot you three from the only city and friends that you've ever known. So, you'll be moving in with your aunt and uncle Hikari."

Naminé, Cloud and I all spoke at the same time.

"And cousin Sora?"

Again she nodded.

"Everyone agrees that it's for the best. Especially since Sora's best friend moved to the Destiny Islands."

Sora and Riku were neighbors and best friends since Sora's birth. Last year, Riku's family moved away. Sora cried for days. That's when Naminé introduced Sora to her best friend Kairi. He's been a lot better since then. Kairi seems to have that effect on people (it was only a matter of course that Nami introduced her to Aimi, and they became friends). Anyway, none of us really minded living with Sora. Naminé and I were close to him, and Cloud wanted to protect him. The only bad part of the arrangement was the indefinite separation from our parents.

It was a Friday afternoon when they told us, and we were moved in with the Hikari's on Sunday. Cloud and Sora shared a room, while Naminé and I each got our own. I could have shared with Sora, but Cloud said that I would appreciate having my own room later on. We didn't see our parents again until Christmas.

Anyway, after we had parted with our parents, I went to meet Hayner, Pence and Olette. I had promised to hang out with them after we were settled in, since moving had caused me to cancel our Saturday plans. Hayner, Pence, Olette and I met in preschool. I think it was Seifer who brought us together. He was picking on Pence, and the rest of us all went to his defense. We've been together ever since. It was similar experience for Kairi and Naminé. A common cause brought them together, and they just connected from there.

So, once I had the chance to explain the situation to them, Hayner was angry with my parent's boss, Olette was sympathetic, and Pence was just glad that we weren't leaving Hollow Bastion. Me? I don't know how I felt. I was just numb. I think I was just overwhelmed. I couldn't yell or cry like Cloud and Naminé respectively. Sometimes, I just sat and stared at the wall. I felt empty and alone, when I could even feel at all. Then one day, Sora tapped me on the shoulder while I was staring at the wall.

"Roxas, let's play the new Mega Crash Brothers."

I nodded, already feeling less numb.

"Sure Sora, if you'll let me be Chain."

He grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! Let's go!"

I don't know what was different that day. I just felt better. I let Sora have the last piece of pizza at dinner that night.

--

AN: There's your preview. Now go read the real thing!


End file.
